Research focus

Our research group focuses on the analysis of pathways that underlie the genesis, progression and maintenance of cancer. The goal is to understand how the genes that are implicated in cancer control fundamental cellular processes in normal cells. At the same time, we wish to understand the mechanisms by which non-mutational (i.e. epigenetic and post-transcriptional) events interfere with these natural processes to bring about tumour development and to affect therapy outcome. We are particularly interested in the concept of aberrant RNA biology in cancer and the targeting of cancer cell-specific malignant RNAs.

We harness the power of mouse genetics and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) as preclinical models, in order to study cancer gene function in the in vivo relevant context and test novel (combination) therapeutic modalities.

Our research efforts follow from our studies on the p53 tumour suppressor. For more than a decade our laboratory has been studying upstream and downstream factors that influence or modulate p53-induced biological responses. Our laboratory has recently switched from a molecule- to a disease-driven approach and developed a growing interest in melanoma biology. Several mouse models of melanoma were introduced into the lab. They are currently being extensively characterized and improved. In an ongoing effort, we also collect, catalogue and profile -down to single-cell level- tumour materials from these mice as well as from human biopsies which we obtain through collaborations with clinicians at the KU Leuven university hospital.

Our work is currently centered on 4 related axes:

characterization of the melanocytic lineage and melanocyte stem cells

identification of melanoma initiating cells and dissection of the mechanisms that contribute to early tumor development

Job openings

News

04/03/2019 - Each year, the EU launches calls for postdoc research fellowships through the Marie Sklodowksa-Curie Actions. Fellowships provided through these actions support researchers regardless of age & nationality.

15/01/2019 - The body’s cells are constantly changing. But which of these changes are healthy developments and which lead to serious diseases? This is what LifeTime, a transnational and interdisciplinary initiative of leading European researchers, wants to figure out.

29/10/2018 - Researchers from VIB and KU Leuven uncovered a key vulnerability of melanoma. While studying the role of the melanoma-specific long non-coding RNA SAMMSON in tumor initiation, they found that it boosts protein synthesis in different cellular compartments.

17/09/2018 - The VIB Grand Challenges Program is a translational research program with which we aim to significantly increase the societal impact of VIB. We are convinced that this can be done by teaming up with experts outside VIB who have complementary expertise.

12/07/2018 - A team of scientists led by Jean-Christophe Marine (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology) has demonstrated that melanoma cells are capable of adapting their behavior when exposed to therapy to become highly resilient.

03/05/2017 - Rsearchers from VIB, KU Leuven together with colleagues from INSERM report the important role for FES in the initiation and progression of melanoma that is notoriously quick to metastasize and that responds poorly to existing cancer treatments.

12/11/2016 - ​A team of researchers led by Chris Marine (VIB-KU Leuven) has shown that NEAT1, a long non-coding RNA, plays an important role in the survival of highly dividing cells – cancer cells in particular.

15/12/2015 - A team of scientists, comprising researchers from IMCB, A*STAR, VIB/KU Leuven has revealed the mechanism by which tumor cells elevate levels of MDM4, a protein that is highly expressed in cancer cells but not in normal adult tissues.

15/03/2011 - Cop1 has –for a long time - been seen as an attractive drug target for cancer. But Jean-Christophe Marine found out that Cop1 acts as a tumor suppressor. His new data will have direct implications for the development of cancer drug targets.